One important step for improved driving safety in cold climates is the removal of frost, ice, and snow from vehicular windows prior to engaging in operation of the vehicle. An ability to clearly see road hazards, alterations in the direction of the roadway, intersections with other roadways, and other vehicles utilizing the roadways greatly improves a driver's ability to avoid accidents.
During the winter months of many regions, motorists that do not have access to covered parking facilities are faced with a nearly daily daunting task of clearing off their windshields prior to operating their vehicles. This task can be cold and hazardous. A windshield scraper, often with a brush feature at a proximal end and a scraper blade at a distal end, is a device used for the purpose of removing frost, ice, and snow from vehicular windows. When using a windshield scraper on frost, and nearly always on ice, obtaining good footing, in order to supply sufficient force to the scraper, is a key aspect of a successful removal of solidified moisture from automotive windshields. However, under icy conditions, good footing is often hard to obtain, which can and has led to serious “slip and fall” mishaps, resulting in contusions, lacerations, broken bones and even serious head injuries.
A number of solutions have been proposed in the art, each with their own drawbacks. One alternative to scraping frozen moisture accumulations from vehicles windows and windshields involves placing a sheet of paper, canvas, plastic, or other material over the outside of the windshield. However, unless somehow secured to the windshield, these materials are subject to being displaced by the wind or the weight of ice and snow, leaving the windshield unprotected. Furthermore, rain, sleet, or snow can easily penetrate the gaps between the edges of the sheet and the windshield to accumulate on the windshield underneath the sheet, causing the sheet to freeze to the windshield, which creates as many removal problems, if not more, for the driver.
Liquid deicing agents are also known in the art. However, such agents typically include chemicals that are, held under pressure; flammable; harmful to humans; and often sold in containers that need proper disposal upon their exhaustion. Upon application of such agents, vehicle operators are advised to allow the product to remain in contact with the moisture solidified on the windshield, avoid contact with the skin and eyes, and avoid inhaling the fumes. Repetitive application is advised for heavy ice accumulation, which increases the risk factors for the vehicle operator.
As such, challenges remain and a need persists for improvements in methods and devices for deicing vehicular windows.